Hello And Goodbye
by Dr. Phoenix
Summary: Based on 1991 version. On Belle's first day in the provincial town, she meets a kindly bookseller and finds a skeleton holding what appears to be a letter.


I hid my tears as Philippe stopped in front of our new cottage. I knew I must be strong for Papa. As if losing the rest of our family wasn't enough, we had also lost our former prosperity.

Looking around our small farm, I noted, "It does have a sort of rustic charm."

Papa managed to smile. "Why don't you go look around town and see if you can make some friends?"

"Don't we have to unpack?"

"It can wait. You should go make a good first impression on our new neighbors."

I kissed Papa on the cheek and took a small basket and my few remaining coins in case I needed to make a purchase. The little town was quiet, and I already had a feeling that the days would be monotonous, but I was determined to make the best of the situation.

The smell of fresh loaves of bread came from the bakery, but I could hear farmers and shepherds calling to their animals in the distance. Seeing a metallic gleam in the sun, I looked up to see a barber at work with his scissors.

To my delight, I noticed that there was also a bookshop. I knew that now was not the time to waste my money on items that were not food or warm clothing for the coming winter, but I also knew that browsing was free.

A little bell rang when I walked into the shop. An elderly gentleman with glasses smiled warmly.

"_Bonjour, mademoiselle_," he greeted kindly. "May I help you?"

I felt my face grow warm. "I just want to look around…if that's alright."

"Certainly!"

I recognized several titles I loved: _Arabian Knights, Let It Freeze, Circle Of Death, Heart of Our World, Rejection, Mother Knew Better, Sons Of Men, Forget You, Worst Of Enemies, Bucks In Buckingham_…

I also saw a wide variety of books I had never encountered: _Something's Here, The Bare Essentials, Heaven Help the Outcasts, Feed The Pigeons, Perfect Is Easy, The World's Greatest Criminal Masterminds, Beautiful Night, Cruel Devil, Colors of the Breeze…_

"Delightful, aren't they?" the bookseller asked rhetorically.

"Yes!" I exclaimed enthusiastically.

He chuckled. "It's not often I get a customer so enthused by books. Most are children forced to read a certain number of books for school, and they'd rather be off playing than studying lessons."

"But why?" I asked. "Reading is such an adventure!"

On impulse, I gingerly stroked the spine of the nearest book. It was tall and thick, a sure sign that discoveries were waiting to be made within its pages.

I frowned. I couldn't allow myself to give in to the temptations before my eyes. Papa needed a new hat.

"Thank you for letting me look around. I'll be back," I promised.

"Didn't find anything you liked?" the shopkeeper asked.

"Oh, plenty! It's just…" I stopped myself, unsure how to explain.

"We don't have a library in this town," he remarked. "Maybe I could loan you a book, and when you return it, you could take another."

"But sir!" I protested, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"I insist. An intelligent mind like yours belongs between the covers of the nearest book. It would be unhappy anywhere else."

I thanked him enthusiastically and slid the nearest book into my basket, silently vowing that I would read them all.

At the edge of town, I saw an old hovel that looked as if the roof would cave in at any moment. My curiosity got the better of me, and I knocked on the door. Hearing no answer, I cautiously stepped inside.

The entire floor was made of dirt, and there was a huge hold in the roof. There were no windows, and the only furniture was a small table of rotting wood and a chair that was missing a leg. There were crudely whittled eating utensils and something that must have served as a makeshift fireplace.

To my horror, I saw a skeleton dressed in rags, covered with a tattered piece of cloth that she must have been using as a blanket. In her hand was a square of paper.

I hesitantly approached and took the paper. To my surprise, although the ink seemed to have been made of crushed berries, the penmanship was excellent. Realizing this must have been a letter that was never delivered, I began to read:

_My Dearest Children,_

_ My time has come to take leave of you. I wish I knew where you've been all these years, but I dreamed of you last night. It was such a comfort to me that at least I got to see you one last time. I love you._

_ Please do not grieve. I have cared for you from infancy, and now you are old enough to make your own way in the world. Now it is time for me to join your little sister in the afterlife and care for her. Consumption no longer has the power to destroy my life; I am mere moments away from being free of the life of poverty I have always known._

_ If you are waiting for me in the world to come, I rejoice that we will all be together again soon. I know your father has been waiting for me ever since he was bitten by that rabid fox years ago. _

_ But, dear children, if you are alive, I pray you do not let your hearts grow bitter. Serve the royal family well, for although they have made you servants against your will, they have provided food and shelter and everything else I could not. I know you are strong enough to endure whatever hardships this life throws your way._

_ I am not truly leaving you, my darlings. I will be in the wind that tousles your hair and the rain that touches your hands. Even death cannot separate those who love each other dearly._

_ Go now and live happy lives. I pray your deathbed shall be gentle and instant in your old age, that you may not know pain, fear, or sorrow. Above all, I hope you shall find love and raise children, that you may know the pride and joy that overwhelmed my soul from the very moment I realized that I carried new life inside my body. _

_Your Loving Mother,_

_Ambre Desbois_

Even though I had never met this family, tears began to dim my vision. Somehow, I would get this letter to them. All I needed was a plan.


End file.
